Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper talks gun laws, budget

In this handout provided by CBS News, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper appears on "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer on February 24, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images North America | Handout)

WASHINGTON -- Gov. John Hickenlooper skirted a question Sunday on whether he believes in bans on assault weapons and limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines during a morning appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation."

Asked what was his highest priority in strengthening gun laws, Hickenlooper said he wanted to focus on universal background checks and "mental-health issues."

"Our highest priority has been mental-health issues, and addressing that ... just to make sure we don't put guns in the wrong hands," said Hickenlooper, who shared a table with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Hickenlooper said he believes in universal background checks. He said last year 320,000 people in Colorado underwent a background check, which led to finding "more than 1,000 felons" with criminal records and more than 100 arrests.

"We want to expand that," he said.

Colorado's state legislature is in the midst of vigorous debate over strengthening the state's gun laws. The state's House of Representatives just passed four gun-control measures that include limiting the capacity of ammunition magazines to 15 rounds. The proposal now heads to the state Senate for debate.

Hickenlooper said the looming sequester -- roughly $85 billion in automatic federal spending cuts that will take place Friday unless Congress acts -- will be "significant, and people will feel them. "The governor said the impacts will be felt particularly in education, with school districts facing "difficult, impossible choices."

The White House said Sunday that Colorado will get its federal education programs cut by $8.4 million this year if the sequester takes hold. On immigration, Hickenlooper said he doesn't have a problem with securing the border before figuring out a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Most Democrats in Congress hope a comprehensive immigration package secures the border and solves the status problem for the illegalimmigrants living here.

"I don't have as much of a problem in doing the border security first," Hickenlooper said. "In the end, you really have to focus on the whole problem at the same time. You've got to look at employment identification and making sure that 20 years down the road we're not going to get into the same position. That requires not just a secure border but an employment-verification system that's rigorous."

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